Golf putting practice device



July 4, 1961 G. A. HARTUNG 2,991,083

GOLF PUTTING PRACTICE DEVICE Filed April 24, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 CD 42 41 w lo 2021 ee 27 2s 25 36 H v 4 20b J 27a 34 70 72 l K K INVENTOR. GEORGE A. HARTUNG PARKER 2. CARTER ATTORNEYS 'July 4, 1961 Filed Apr i1 24, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 EII======M INVENTOR. GEO RGE A. HARTU NG PARKE R & CARTER ATTORNEYS July 4, 1961 e. A. 'HARTUNG GOLF PUTTING PRACTICE DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 24,. 1956 INVENTOR. GEORGE A. HARTUNG PARKER & CARTER AT TORNEYS certain parts omitted;

- r 2,991,053 1 g -GOLF PUTTING. PRACTIOE'DEVICE George A. Hartung, Brookfield, Ill. (7980 Alabama Road, Clarendon Hills, Ill.) Filed Apr. 24, 1956, Ser. No. 580,204 r 3 Claims. .(Cl. 273-179 turning'it toward'the user eitherwhen the ball is deposited in the-golf'hole itself, or when the ball misses the hole and passes therebeyond to the end of the receiving surface of the device.

The invention best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- United States Patent FIGURE lis a" perspective view of the device with FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the device with the ball receiving ramp removed to show details of the opcrating mechan'isrn;

j 1 FIGURE 3 i y j ags longitudinal crosssection .of the device taken generally on linel3 3 of FIGURE 2, showing in full lines the ball receiving and ejecting mechashowing said mechanism in three operating positions;

FIGURE 8 is -a fragmentary detail view of the tension ing adjustment lever for the ejecting spring;

FIGURE 9 is. a detail fragmentary view showing a portion of the means. for controlling the tripping mechanism;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary detail view of another portion of the tripping control means;

FIGURE 11 is a detail section of a portion of the tripping mechanism taken on the line 11-11 of FIG- URE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary detail view of a portion of the actuating means for the tripping mechanism; and FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary detail showing a modified form of device employing an electric motor for actuating the ejecting mechanism instead of a springwound escapement mechanism of the kind employed in the form of the device shown in the preceding figures. Referring now to the embodiment of my invention disclosed in FIGURES 1 to 12, inclusive, of the drawings,

my improved form of practice device comprises a hollow casing, indicated generally at 10, made of sheet metal or the like and having a bottom wall 11, an upright rear wall 12 and forwardly diverging side walls 13, 13 connected to the ends of the rear wall 12 and tapering downwardly and forwardly to a level immediately adjacent the bottom wall 11. An upwardly and rearwardly inclined putting surface or ramp 14 is suitably fixed along its side edges to the sidewalls 13 and along its rear edge to the rear wall 12. The front edge of the ramp 14 is arranged to' meet the bottom wall 11 along the front edge of the latterto complete an enclosure for the actuating mechanism. A relatively short rearend portion of the 14 is substantially flat, as indicated at 14a. The side walls 13 have inwardly inclined extensions 13a extending above the adjacent surface of the ramp 14, while the rear wall 12 has a similar inwardly inclined extension 12a connecting between the rear ends of the side wall extensions 13a, 13a.

The ramp 14 has a circular aperture 15 centrally of and adjacent the front edge thereof. This aperture is substantially the same diameter as a conventional golf hole or cup and constitutes the putting target of the device. The ramp 14 also has a transversely disposed trough, herein consisting of an open slot 16 disposed along its upper rear end, a part of said slot extending into and including the flattened rear portion 14a of said ramp. The slot 16 has a rearwardly curved notched portion 17 at its center which is so shaped and spaced from the front edge 18 of said slot as to receive a golf ball in loosely fitting engagement therein. The front and rear edges of the slot 16, at opposite sides of the notched portion 17, are tapered toward opposite sides of the ramp, as clearly shown in FIGURE 1. The slot 16 is so formed that when a golf ball is rolled up the ramp and passes beyond the target aperture or hole 15, it will drop by gravity into the slot 16, and due to the inwardly and downwardly tapering front edge 18 of said slot, the ball will be caused toroll toward the center and drop by gravity into the central space formed in front of the notched portion 17 of said slot.

Means for restricting lateral movement of the ball when it lodges in the central notched portion 17 consists of a pair of spaced upright bars 17a fixed at opposite sides of and below said notched portion; and an up right plate 18a fixed below the front edge 18 of the slot.

Means are provided for automatically ejecting the golf ball either when it is received in the target hole 15 or in the central receiving area of the transverse slot 16.

Referring first to the receiving and rejecting mechanism associated with the target hole 15, a ball receiving plate 210 is mounted within the hollow base 10 for vertical movement with respect to the rim of the target hole 15;. Said receiving plate consists of a disc-like member of substantially rigid material, such as metal or plastic, having a diameter slightly less than that of the hole 15. The front edge of the receiving plate 20 is suitably hinged on the floor 11 as by means of a downwardly extending flange portion 21, hinged at its bottom edge to a pair of opposing upstanding ears 22, 22 fixed to the floor. The rear portion 20a of the plate, constituting slightly more than one-half of its area, is disposed at a slight downward angle relative to the front portion 20b of said plate. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, an aperture 23 is formed in the rear portion 20a of said plate, said aperture being circular in shape excepting for a forwardly extending notch 24 at its front edge. The purpose of this aperture 23 will presently be described.

The receiving plate 20 is normally held with its front port-ion 20b substantially parallel with, but slightly below, the rim of hole 15 and with its rear portion 201: at a downwardly inclined angle relative to said rim, as shown in FIGURE 3. Means for supporting said plate in this position consists of a pair of rocking levers 25, 25 which engage the undersurface of the plate along a line substantially parallel with the pivotal axis of said plate at opposite sides of the aperture 23 in said plate. The rocking levers 25 each consist of elongated metal or plastic strips bent at an 'angle of slightly more than and having a pivot pin 26 projecting outwardly therefrom for engagement in cars 27 or 27a fixed in upstanding relation on the bottom 11 of the casing.

An arcuate bail 29 is arranged to fit immediately adjacent and within the front edge of the rim of the hole and extending approximately one-half the diameter of 3 said rim. The two ends of said bail are fixed to the rockmg levers 25 at a slightly obtuse angle, so that when the bail is in its normal lowermost position slightly below the rim of the hole and resting on the bottom wall 11,

the free ends of the rocking levers 25 will extend upwardly and rearwardly to support the free end of the receiving plate 20 in the normal putting position shown in full lines in FIGURE 3. The plate and the leverage system will be normally maintained in this position by the weight of the bail 29 until the leverage system is overbalanced by imposing the additional weight of a ball upon said plate, as will presently be more fully depivoted in an upstanding car 32 fixed on the bottom wall 11. A notch 29a is formed in the adjacent edge of the 'bail 29 to accommodate the shaft 31 when said bail is in lowered position. The shaft 31 also passes through an ear 27a, and a pair of ears 33, 33a fixed on the bottom wall 11 at spaced points, as shown in FIGURE 2.

A portion of the shaft 31 between the ear 27a and the ear 33 is offset to form a crank arm indicated at 35 in FIGURE 10. The extreme end of the shaft 31 terminates in a right angled finger 36 as seen in FIGURES to 7 and in FIGURE 10. In the form shown, the crank arm 35 and the finger 36 are both disposed in a plane substantially at right angles to the ejector arm 30.

The arrangement of parts just described is such that the circular ejector arm 30 normally extends at an upward and rearward angle beneath the aperture 23 in the supporting plate 20 as indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2, so that said arm can be pivotally swung upwardly through the aperture 23 to eject a ball which comes to rest on the rear end of the supporting plate 20 over the aperture 23, as will presently appear.

A second ball ejector arm 40, very similar to the ball ejector arm 30 just described. is pivotally mounted beneath the central ball receiving area formed by the notch 17 and the adjacent widened portion of the transverse slot 16 at the rear end of the ramp 14. Details of this ball ejector arm 40 are shown in FIGURE 9 in Which it will be seen that said arm has a shaft por ion 41 pivotally mounted in upstanding cars 42 and 43 and an offset crank arm portion 45 corresponding substantially in form and arrangement to the crank arm 35 of shaft 41 associated with the front ejector arm 30.

As will be seen from FIGURE 2, the shafts 31 and 41 of the two ejector arms 30 and 40 are connected for simultaneous actuation by a link 50 connecting the crank arms 35 and 45 together. Mechanism for actuating the ejector arms is automatically responsive 'to the depression of either ejector arm, due to the weight of a ball thereon, which actuating mechanism, when released, causes both arms to fiip upwardly and forwardly on their pivotal shafts 31 and 41 so as to eject the ball and throw it forwardly for return along the floor to the player.

In the form of actuating mechanism shown in FIG- URES 2 to 12, inclusive, said mechanism utilizes a conventional spring-wound escapement or timing device indicated generally at 55. This escapement device may be of any well known form similar to the escapement mechanism of an ordinary clock, and including a key wound spring adapted to energize a train of gears in a conventional manner, excepting that rotation of one of the intermediate gears 56 in the gear train is controlled by 'a pivoted stop arm 57 which locks the gear train against movement as shown in full lines in FIGURE 9, excepting when the stop arm 57 is swung out-of engagement with the gear 56, as shown in dotted lines in the same figure.

The stop arm 57 is pivoted on an upright pin 58 and carries a contact finger 59 at its outer end adapted to be engaged by the crank arm 45 of shaft 41 when the latter is swung or rocked to its rearwardmost position, as indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 2. Since the shafts 41 and 31 are connected by link 50 for simultaneous pivoting movement, the arrangement is such that when either of the ejecting arms 30 or 40 is depressed beyond their normal intermediate positions by the weight of a ball, the pivoted stop arm 57 will be moved rearwardly by crank arm 45 against the tension of spring 60 so as to release the gear 56 of the escapement mechanism and permit the latter to start in motion. Movement of the escapement mechanism will cause a large toothed wheel 61 operated by the gearing to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 12. A plurality of teeth 62, 62 are spaced circumferentially a substantial distance apart about the gear wheel 61. One of the gear teeth 62 will then engage a pin 63 fixed on a reciprocating bar 64 which is suitably guided for longitudinal movement along the bottom plate 11, as by pins 65, 66 fixed to the bottom and engaging longitudinal slots 67, 68 near opposite ends of the bar 64.

Spring means is provided normally urging the bar 64 toward the front of the device. In the form shown, this spring means consists of a coil spring 70 connected between the front end of the bar 64 and a crank arm portion 71 of a transversely extending rod 72 pivotally mounted in upstanding ears 73, 73 fixed on the bottom of the device. The rod 72 extends laterally through the side wall 13 and terminates in a lever 74 which may be set and held at various angles in any suitable manner to increase or decrease the tension of the spring 70.

The reciprocating bar 64 has a laterally extending detent 75 adjacent its front end adapted for engagement with the finger 36 at the end of the shaft 31, which shaft, as previously mentioned, carries the ejecting arm 30 at its opposite end. This detent 75 has a relatively straight front face 76, preferably inclined upwardly relative to the bar 64, and a forwardly curved cam-like rear face 77 v(see FIGURES 5, 6 and 7). The rocking shaft 31 and the front end of the connecting link 50 is arranged for slight lateral movement, but these last-named parts are normally urged toward the right, as seen in FIGURE 10, by a spring 78 shown in enlarged detail in FIGURE 11. This spring 78 also serves to urge the connecting link 50 and the crank arm 35 upwardly to a generally intermediate position.

When the reciprocating bar 64 is in its forwardmost position, as indicated in FIGURE 2, the detent 75 is disposed in front of the finger 36, and in general alignment therewith. When the reciprocating bar is moved rearwardly, as indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 6, the finger 36 and the shaft 31 are moved to the left by engagement of the finger with the rear cam-like surface 77 of said detent. When the bar 64 is moved to its extreme rearward position, as shown in FIGURE 5, the finger 36 will be returned slightly to the right where it is in spaced relation in front of the detent 75. In this latter position, the finger 36 is ready to be engaged and rocked forwardly to produce a quick upward flip of the two ejecting arms 30 and 40 when the reciprocating bar 64 is tripped and released for forward movement, as will be described in greater detail in connection with the operation of the device.

A foldable auxiliary backing plate 80 may be pivotally supported on links 81 in position to be swung rearwardly into engagement with the extension 12a so as to assume a forwardly inclined position for stopping balls projected toward the device with excessive speed.

The use and operation of the form of device shown in FIGURES 1 to 12, inclusive, is as follows: The two ejector arms 30 and 40 normally assume a rear'wardly and upwardly inclined angle, substantially as shown in FIGURE 2, with the free ends of said arms approxifnately at the level of the adjacent portions of the ramp 1-4;: and "14a; fespectively.v InTthis' position, which may be termed the normal or intermediateposition, the finger'36 Onshaft, ,31 be'disposed in a general upright but forwardly inclined angle, as shown in full lines in FIGURE In-,this same position the link 50 connects the crank arm;3.5' Qflshaft, 31 with the crank arm-45 of shaft 41 to hold both of the ejecting arms. 30 and 40, in their normal intermediate positions above mentioned. As will be seen in FIGURE 9, the pivoted lock arm 57 will be held under tension of the spring 60 in engagement with the gear 56 so as to holdjthe gearing of the timing mechanism 55 against rotation. I

Now assuming that the putting device as a whole is placed inoperating position on the floor, anda ball is 14. Should the ball be properly directed toward the target holeilS, it will roll upon the'rear end 20a of the receivi ng'plate ZOwIn normalposit'ion said receiving plate will'be-inaintained with its front portion 20b substantially inalignment with, but's'lightly below, the adjacent rim of thetarget hole, as shown in FIGURE 3, said plate being normally maintained in this position by the upstanding lever arm 25 on the ball 29 as previously described. The bail 29 is of sufficient weight to hold the plate 20 in its elevated position shown in FIGURE 3, and, if necessary, to restore the plate to its normal elevated position when there is no additional weight of the ball upon said plate.

When a ball falls into the rear end of the target hole 15, however, it will be directed so as to center itself over the aperture 23 in the receiving plate 20. The weight of the ball will be suflicient to overbalance the weight of the bail 29 and cause the plate 20 and the arm 30 to swing downwardly into their dotted line positions shown in FIGURE 3, with the ball resting in part upon the arm 30.

Simultaneously, the bail 29 will be swung upwardly to its dotted line position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The bail thus serves two purposes: first, to hold the ball against rolling forwardly out of the hole 15, and sec ondly, to urge the ball rearwardly, to center over the aperture 23.

The depression of the arm 30 below its normal inclined position by the ball will cause the shaft 31 on which the arm 30 is carried to swing or rock rearwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 10. This will, in turn, cause a rearward movement of the link 50 so as to swing the finger 59 on the pivoted lock arm 57 rearwardly out of engagement with the teeth of gear 56. This frees the spring-wound escapement or timing mechanism and starts the large wheel 61 thereof to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow in FIG- URE 12. At the beginning of rotation of the wheel 61, one of its teeth 62 will be engaged with pin 63 on the reciprocating bar 64. As the timing gears continue in operation, the wheel 61 will move the bar 64 rearwardly and gradually increase the tension of the spring 70 at the forward end of said bar. When the wheel 61 reaches a fully cooked position slightly beyond that indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 12, the tooth 62 engaging the bar will rotate out of engagement with pin 63 on said bar, to trip or release the latter for a quick for- Ward movement under the increased tension on the spring 70.

It will be understood that when the bar 64 reaches its rearwardmost fully cooked position, the finger 36 on shaft 31 will be disposed in a generally upright position in front of the detent 75 and in longitudinal alignment therewith, as shown in FIGURE 5. Accordingly, when the bar 64 is tripped for forward movement, as just described, the bar 64 will be moved forward with a snap action so that the detent 75 will engage the finger 36 on shaft 31 and flip said finger forwardly, as indicated in FIGURE 7. Such forward flipping action of the directed toward the said device so as to roll up the ramp finger 36 will be transmitted through the shaft 31 to the ejecting arm 30'so as to cause said arm to fly upwardly and eject the ball-upwardly and forwardly beyond the front end-of the device.

,During the, initial flight of the ball it will strike the bail, thenin raised position as seen in dotted lines in FIGURE 3, thereby tending to force said bail downwardly, and aid in restoring the plate 20 to its normal putting position as will presently appear.

The tension of the spring 70 is sufficient to expel the ball first in the air and then with a rolling motion a substantial-distance from the device so as to return it to the user. The amount of flip and distance of roll of theball may, of course, be varied by adjusting the tension of the spring 70 by means of the lever 74 shown in FIGURE 8. When the forward flipping motion occurs, the link 50 transmits a similar forward flipping motion to. the rear ejecting arm 40, as indicated in full lines in-FIGURE 9. In this position of the parts the finger 59 on the spring pressed locking arm 57 will be restored to its full-line locking position to stop further rotation of the gears of the escapement mechanism." This will complete one cycle of operation of the ejecting mechanism and the several parts will be restored to their normal putting position ready for the next cycle of movement.

The link 50 may have a finger 50a projecting at one side thereof, adapted to extend beneath the adjacent rocking lever 25 of the bail 29 when the latter is in elevated position, to aid in restoring said rocking lever and the plate 20 supported thereby to raised normal putting position.

It will be further understood that the same ball ejecting operation will be caused when the ball is putted toward the device and passes up the ramp into the tapered slot 16 and is thence rolled by gravity so as to drop on the ejecting arm 40. Since the shaft 41 of the rear ejecting arm 40 is connected through link 50 for simultaneous movement with the shaft 31 of the front ejecting arm 30, the same flipping cycle will be effected regardless of whether the ball is deposited on the rear ejecting arm 40 or the front ejecting arm 30.

It will be further understood that due to the time necessary for rotation of the wheel 61 to take the reciprocating bar into releasing position, the device has a delayed ejecting action which is particularly desirable in a device of this character. This delayed action gives the player suificient time to observe the ball either in the hole or in the rear slot.

FIGURE 13 shows a modified form of actuating device for the reciprocating bar 64, which actuating device consists of an electric motor having a rotating shaft 86 with a pair of opposed engaging arms 87, 87 carried thereby. Operation of the motor 85 is controlled through a conventional switch 88 connected at opposite sides to supply lines 89 and W leading to the motor 85. The switch 88 is closed by an insulated contact member 91 mounted on the inner end of a link 92, which link corre sponds to the link 50 of the form shown in FIGURES 2 to 12, inclusive.

Although I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a golf practice device, a base, a ramp on the base having a hole therein, a ball ejector lever mounted on the base beneath the hole for engagement by a ball deposited by gravity in the hole, the lever being pivoted for upward and forward swinging movement through the hole to eject the ball bodily from the hole toward the front of the ramp, a spring associated with the lever beneath the ramp biasing the lever in a direction to eject the ball, releasable means under the ramp for holding the lever against movement under the urge of the spring and means responsive to the depression of the lever by the weight of the ball for releasing the holding means whereby the lever is actuated by the spring to discharge the ball from the hole a ball receiving plate beneath and co-extensive with the hole aperture to encircle the ball ejector lever, a free portion of the ball receiving plate being supported in its normal putting position by rocking support means on said base fixed at opposite ends to a semicircular bail surrounding the front portion of said plate and within the adjacent cup rim, said bail being disposed in non-ball retarding position below the cup rim when the rocking support means is in position to hold the plate in its normal putting position, and said rocking support being tiltable by said plate when the latter is forcibly depressed by the weight of a ball, to swing said bail upwardly to a ball-retaining position above the cup rim, when the ball is initially deposited on the ball receiving plate.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the hole simulates a golf cup hole in size and the ball receiving plate is pivotally mounted on said base, adjacent the front portion of said hole and normally supported below the level of said ramp for depression by a ball, said plate having an aperture adjacent its rear portion, for receiving a ball putted into said hole and the ejecting lever is disposed in registering relation with said aperture in position for engagement by the ball when it is received in the aperture of the plate.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the bail in its upwardly swung position is adapted to urge the ball into the aperture adjacent the rear portion of the plate, for engagement with the ejecting lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,689,476 Brumder Oct. 30, 1928 2,443,759 Anderson June 22, 1948 2,582,290 Smith Jan. 15, 1952 2,653,815 Hartung Sept. 29, 1953 2,709,594 Brandell May 31, 1955 

